Pompeo violated ethics rules, asked state employees to do personal tasks

Washington (QNN)- Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo violated federal ethics rules governing the use of taxpayer-funded resources when he, and his wife, asked State Department employees to carry out personal tasks more than 100 times, a government watchdog said in a report.

The State Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said in the report that Pompeo and his wife asked a political appointee and other employees in his office to carry out tasks such as “picking up personal items, planning events unrelated to the Department’s mission, and conducting such personal business as pet care and mailing personal Christmas cards.”

“The Pompeos made over 100 requests to employees in the office of the secretary to conduct work that appeared to be personal in nature,” the report said.

Among the incidents detailed in the report were a request from Susan Pompeo for an aide to make two hair salon appointments for her.

On another occasion, an under secretary of state appeared to help the Pompeos’ son secure a discount for a hotel room, the report said.

OIG said it had completed most of its fieldwork on the report by August 2020.

However, its completion of the report was delayed because Pompeo refused to grant an interview to the OIG for several months until sitting down with them in December.

Representatives for Pompeo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A counsel for Pompeo cited in the report described it as “replete with factual errors” and accused the drafters of apparent bias against Pompeo and his family.

A State Department spokesman said the agency concurred with “all the recommendations (in the report) and will proceed to implement them.”

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